Door-latch.



A. E. WAGNER,

DOOR LATCH.

APPLICATION man Nov. H, 1915.

py Patented May 29, 1917.

ALVA E. WAGNER, OF DES MOINES, IOWA.

:DOOR-LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 29, 191'?.

Application filed November 11, 1915. Serial No. 60,960.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ALvA E. VAGNER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of owa, have invented a certain new and useful Door-Latch, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a door latch of comparatively simple, d urable and inexpensive construction, especially adapted for garages, barn doors and the like.

Still a further obj eot` is to provide such a latch having parts so arranged that when the door is swung open, the latch parts will automatically engage for locking and holding the door in its open position.

Still a further object is to provide such a door having parts so constructed that they may be readily adjustable where such adjustment is necessary on account of the sagging of the door, or any peculiarities in the manner in which the door is hinged.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination-of the various parts of the device where y the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a front elevation of a part of a building such as a garage having a door, the door and building being equipped 'with a latch deviceembodying my invention.

Fig. -2 shows an end elevation of the keeper.

Fig. 3 shows a horizontal sectional view of the door and building taken just above the latch, and

Fig. 4 shows a vertical sectional view taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

In the accompanying drawings, i have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate generally a building having a door opening around which is the frame 11.

Hinged to the frame 11 is a swinging door 12. Mounted on one of the upright members of the frame 11 at any desired height, is a plate 13 which is preferably mounted over part of one of the hinges 14, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

Bolts 15 are extended through the plate 13 near the corner thereof and are suitably mounted on the door frame 11. The plate 13 is provided with a plurality of screwthreaded openings to receive screw-threaded bolts 16, preferably arranged in the foi-m of a rectangle, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The screw threaded bolts 16 are employed for the purpose of adjusting the plate 13 to different angles and positions. It will be seen that by adjusting the nuts on the bolts 15, the plate 13 may be left spaced from the frame 11 and also from the hinge 14, or any other equivalent plate, and that by adjusting the screwthreaded bolts 16 in various positions and then tightening the nuts on the bolts 15, the position of the plate 13 may be varied considerably. The screw-threaded portions of the bolts 15 extend through openings in the plate 13 which are of sufficient size to allow some play of the plates 13 on the bolts 15.

Mounted on the frame on the outer face of the plate 13 are a pair of upwardly and outwardly extending horizontally spaced keeper members 17. The outer edge of the keeper member adjacent to the door 12 is beveled, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, so as to cause the latch member 18, heretofore referred to, when it strikes the said keeper member 17 to slide upwardly.

Mounted on the door near the central portion therefrom from side to side is a bracket 19 in which is rotatably mounted a bolt member 20, the end of which adjacent to the door 12 is screw-threaded to receive nuts 21. @n the bolt 20, outside the bracket 19 is an annular collar 22 which may be integral with the bolt as desired. On the bolt beyond the collar 22 is a horizontal bearing 23 in which is mounted a horizontal rod or shaft 24 which extends transversely across the door and has at its end adjacent to the hinged side of the door a member 18 arranged at right angles to the rod 24.

Mounted on the door 12 between the bracket 19 and the hinged side of the door is a bracket 25 having at its upper portion an upwardly projecting plate 26, in which is formed a vertically elongated slot 27, in which is mounted the rod 24 and which limits the up and down movement of the said rod.

Formed on the bracket 25 is a Hange 28 to which is pivoted a latch lever 29, having a portion which extends away from the door below the rod 24, and a handle member 30 which extends through a suitable opening in the door to the interior of the building. It will be seen that on the outside of the building, the rod can be manually operated, while from the inside its end adjacent to the hinged side of the door may be raised by adjusting the handle 30 downwardly.

In the practical operation of my improved door latch, after the latch has been installed on the door, it will be noted that when the door is closed, the parts extend in their relative positions shown in Fig. 1, with the portion 18 spaced from the keeperl members 11 in such position that when the door is swung toward open position, the member 18 strikes the door edge at the upper portion of the inner keeper 17 and is automatically raised, and as the door moves to open position, the member 17 clears the upper portion of the keepers 17 and drops downwardly beyond them with the rod 211 received between the keepers 17, whereby the door is locked in its open position. 1t will be obvious, of course, that the portions of the rod 2a together with the member 18 on the side of the bearing member 18 adjacent to the hinged side or the door is heavier than the portion 2A on the other side of said bearing member, so that the member 18 normally tends to drop downwardly by gravity. lVhere double doors are used or where single doors are used, the door may be swung open and will be automatically locked in its open position. When it is desired to close the door by a person approaching from the outside, the end of the rod 241 adjacent to the free or swinging side of the door may be grasped, and lowered for thereby releasing the members 18 from the keepers and the door may then be swung to closed position. 1f it is desired to clear the door from the inside, the operator may lower the handle 30, thereby raising the member 18 until it clears the keeper, and the door can be pulled to closed position.

It is well known that doors are hinged at slightly different angles, and that they tend to sag and it is my purpose to provide an adjustable plate with means for adjusting it to position to a suilicient extent to permit the parts to be placed on any door, so that the parts will be engaged at the proper time.

rThe advantages of a door latch such as that herein described, will be largely obvious from the 'oregoin 0' description.

1t will be understood that some change may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my improved door latch without departing from its essential features and purposes, and it is my intent to cover by this application any such changes which may be included within the scope of the following claims.

1 claim as my invention.

1. A door latch, comprising a rod pivotally mounted between its ends to swing in a vertical plane, parallel with the vertical plane of a door, means for limiting the swinging movement of said rod, a transverse member on one end of said rod, a pair of. keepers designed to be mounted on the frame of a. buildinO` adjacent to the hinged edge of a door, and adjacent to said transverse member, one of said keepers having a beveled edge, the parts being so arranged that when the door is swung from closed to open position, said transverse member will strike said beveled edO'e and be moved upwardly to position for clearing said last named keeper and will then drop behind said keepers with the said rod received between the keepers.

2. A door latch, comprising a rod pivotally mounted between its ends to swing in a vertical plane parallel with the vertical plane of a door, a transverse horizontal member on said rod, a pair of keepers designed to be mounted on the frame of a building adjacent to the hinged edge of a door, and adjacent to said transverse member, one of'said keepers having a beveled edge, the parts being so arranged that when the door is swung from closed to open position, said transverse member will strike said beveled edge and be moved upwardly to position for clearing said keeper and will then drop behind said keepers with said rod received between the keepers, means for limiting the swinging movement of said rod, comprising' a bracket designed to be mounted on a door and having a vertically elongated slot for receiving sai rod.

3. A door latch, comprising a rod pivotally mounted between its ends to swing in a vertical plane, parallel with the vertical plane of a door, said rod beino' arranged with its heavier end on the .side oi: its pivotal point adjacent to the hinged edge of the door, means for limiting the swinging movement of said rod, a transverse horizontal member on said rod, a pair of keepers designed to be mounted on the frame of a building adjacent to the hinged side of-a door, and adjacent to said transverse member, one of said keepers having a beveled edge, the parts being so arranged that when the door` is swung from closed to open position, said transverse member will strike said beveled edge and be moved upwardly to position for clearing said keeper and will then drop behind said keepers with the said rod received between the keepers, said limiting means comprising a bracket designed to be mounted on a door and having a vertically elongated slot for receiving said rod, and having a movable member extending below said rod and a portion designed to extend through a door.

4L. A door latch, comprising a rod pivotally mounted between its ends to swing in a vertical plane, parallel with the vertical plane of a door, means for limiting the swinging movement of said rod, a transverse horizontal member on Vsaid rod, a'support designed to be adjustably mounted on the frame of a building adjacent to the hinged edge of a door, and adjacent to the transverse member, a pair of keepers on said support, one of said keepers having a beveled edge, the parts being so arranged that when the door is swung from closed to open position, said transverse member will strike said beveled keeper and be moved upwardly to position for clearing said keeper and will 10 then drop behind said keepers with the said rod received between the keepers.

Des Moines, Iowa.

ALVA E. WAGNER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

